It all started May 2019 when I saw a post or maybe it was a Youtube video suggestion, I honestly can't remember. But it led me to Maniology, I looked over all of their items. I was still clueless as to how stamping worked, but was impressed with all the images you could create on your nails, and I wanted to learn how to do it. Before making any purchases I wanted to see what I might be getting into and what all I would need to buy, so the video searches began. I watched a few here and there before settling on a favorite channel, Guylene 325. For her there wasn't any editing out steps or little mistakes and her slightly snarky but humorous dialog was educational and entertaining, and after a few videos & her discount code I was ready to make my first purchase. I right off the bat joined the Mani X Me subscription, May was a mermaid set and I love mermaids. I also purchased the beginner bundle Rebel Yell. I loved the techie/nerdy/gamer themes. I spent hours polishing, stamping, removing, repeat. My nails were short, thin, and peely so I didn't have a lot of room to work with at the time but I did my best to choose designs that would work.
I also found Aliexpress, where I could purchase Born Pretty, Beauty Big Bang, KADS, and a plethora of inexpensive nail art and stamping supplies all I had to do was have the patience to wait at least a month or two for shipping. I found Lantern and Wren, Uber Chic, and as I watched more videos the more places I found shop. Then I started finding out about indie polishes. P⋆O⋆P Lipslick was my first indie polish purchase and it was my first indie love. From it's unique bottle to it's sexy shiftiness, it just blew me away and is still today one of my favorites. I mean just look at it, it is just so freaking gorgeous!
So it has been about a year and a half since I started this hobby, and it is still a constant stream of preorders, group buys, box subscriptions and I love it all. I love the friendly community and has been a place to escape, and I love looking over the year and seeing how my nails have improved and how my skill in stamping, polishing, and photographing has improved. Today I am starting this blog and an Instagram account to even further this hobby of mine, and I can't wait to see what I will have accomplished a year from now.
